Elaine Viets & Victoria Laurie, Nancy Martin, Denise Swanson - Drop-Dead Blonde (v5.0) (pdf) by Unknown (howl and other poems .TXT) 📕

confidently, ``and they're saying they love you and they are holding your place beside them. And one of them is talking about knitting; does that make sense to you?'' Deirdre asked.

``Knitting?'' Millicent questioned, her brow furrowing even further.

``Well, maybe it's needlepoint, or crochet--someone you knew used to love to needlepoint or knit, didn't they?''

Millicent thought long and hard and finally said, ``Why, yes! I have a cousin who likes to knit hats for her grandchildren.''

Deirdre nodded her head knowingly and said, ``Yes, they're saying that's correct, it's your cousin they are talk- ing about. Has your cousin's health been bothering her lately?'' Deirdre asked.

``No, not that I know of,'' Millicent said, trying hard to make all the square pegs fit the round holes.

``Well, tell your cousin that her family wants her to watch her health and get plenty of exercise,'' Deirdre said.

``But she's in a wheelchair,'' Millicent said.

Deirdre opened her eyes and smiled at Millicent, already finished with her and beginning to turn away. ``Well, see? Then she does have some health problems.''

As Deirdre began to turn away, Millicent urgently tugged on the gown and asked desperately, ``Oh, Miss Pendleton, please, can you just tell me about my Harold?''

Deirdre's smile returned full wattage as she came back to Millicent and dramatically placed her hand on the older woman's shoulder. ``You want to know about Harold?''

Millicent nodded vigorously up and down. ``Yes, please! 276 Victoria Laurie I just have to know if I made the right decision in moving on to Jack.''

Deirdre nodded wisely and closed her eyes. Concentrat- ing as she took deep exaggerated breaths, she finally said, ``All right, I see him. I see Harold, and he is telling me that he doesn't hold anything against you, and he knows that you had to move on and find love with someone else. He's glad that you're taking care of yourself and that this other man seems to be just what you've been looking for. He says that you should marry this man and that the two of you will care for each other until your dying days. . . .''

Millicent gaped at Deirdre, her face a furrow of utter confusion as Deirdre talked on and on about Jack and Har- old, and just about the time that Deirdre was describing the upcoming nuptials I'd had more than enough. Fueled by my own anger I stood up so fast that my chair fell over backward, clattering to the floor and startling the room. I was enraged at the load of crap spewing out of Deirdre Pendleton's mouth, and I couldn't take it one more nano- second. ``Oh, for crying out loud!'' I shouted.

The entire audience gasped at my outburst, my sister the loudest among them, but I didn't care. Deirdre's eyes snapped open as my voice reverberated off the walls. Quickly I used the stunned silence to my advantage as I walked around the table to point an accusing finger at Deir- dre and her entourage. ``She wants to know about her frig- ging dog, you miserable fake!'' I shouted. ``Harold was her dog, and Jack is her new dog! Millicent's husband is still alive, right, Millicent?''

Millicent nodded dumbly as I continued to rattle off my own impressions of her energy, which I had been gathering since she stood up for Deirdre. ``Millicent, you did make the right decision. Harold was a little white fluffy dog, right?''

``Yes! He was a bichon frise!''

``And he had some sort of liver problem, didn't he?''

``The vet diagnosed him with liver cancer,'' Millicent con- firmed, her eyes growing misty, ``and I just didn't want him to suffer anymore . . .'' she added, dabbing at her eyes.

``Well, the feeling I have is that Harold is in a better place, and you did the right thing by putting him to sleep. Jack, however, is getting too fat, and you need to stop BLIND SIGHTED 277 spoiling him with so many treats. Also, your husband needs to come home from the golf, course and fix that leak under the sink.''

``Oh, my goodness!'' Millicent gasped. ``My husband does play too much golf and we do have a leak under our sink!''

I sneered at Deirdre, who was watching me in horror; then I quickly turned to point at the man from our table whom Deirdre had ordered to take a twenty-thousand- dollar vacation. ``And you, Stan, is it?'' I asked.

Stan nodded hesitantly, watching me with wide eyes.

``Your company is in major financial trouble, and you have a little problem with the IRS, don't you?''

Stan's face turned slightly pink, but he obliged me by nodding vigorously.

``Well, here's my advice; your lawyer is a female with blond hair, right?''

Stan sucked in a breath of surprise and said, ``Yes, yes, she is!''

``Well, I hate to tell you this, but the woman is crap as lawyers go, and it's time to kick her to the curb, 'cause she's charging you an arm and a leg and she doesn't know what the hell she's doing. There's another lawyer, a man in his thirties--like thirty-five-ish--who can really help you negotiate a better deal with the IRS, and save your com- pany from going under. There's a connection to a family member here too, has anyone in your family--a female, like maybe a sister--suggested using their attorney?''

``Yes!'' Stan said, jumping to his feet. ``My sister used a lawyer friend of hers to help her with her business, and he's just like you describe. She's been after me for months to give him a call, but I kept hoping that my current attor- ney could work it out.''

I nodded at Stan and quickly moved on to the next topic for him. ``That's great; give him a call. Now, you also have an employee who's been stealing from you. I'm guessing that the books are totally screwed up, and